Queen Elizabeth's Hospital
Encyclopedia
| Queen Elizabeth's Hospital | |
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| Motto | dum tempus habemus operemur bonum (Latin Latin Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and... : "Whilst we have time, let us do good.") |
| Established | 1586 |
| School type | Independent |
| Headmaster | Stephen Holliday |
| Deputy Headmasters | Mr D Bateson Mr S Ryan |
| Location | Clifton Clifton, Bristol Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells... , Bristol, England |
| Enrollment | 560 students |
| Faculty | circa 70 full-time |
| Colours | Bird's – Yellow Carr's – Blue Hartnell's – Green Ramsey's – Red |
| Founder | John Carr |
| Patron | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Homepage | www.qehbristol.co.uk |
Queen Elizabeth's Hospital (more commonly known as QEH) is an independent school
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
for boys in Clifton
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
, Bristol, England founded in 1586. Stephen Holliday has served as Headmaster since 2000, having succeeded Dr Richard Gliddon. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
is the School's patron though the QEH is named after its original patron Queen Elizabeth I.
Known traditionally as "The City School", Queen Elizabeth's Hospital was founded by the will of affluent merchant John Carr in 1586, gaining its first Royal Charter in 1590. It has 560 boys and is now Bristol's only all-boys school.
The school began as a boarding school, accepting 'day boys' for the first time in the early 1920s. Boarders continued to wear the traditional blue coat uniform on a daily basis until the 1980s. After that, it was only worn on special occasions. Following a steady decline in numbers, QEH stopped accepting new boarders in 2004. Boarding closed completely in July 2008.
A Junior School was opened in September 2007 in terraced Georgian town houses in Upper Berkeley Place, adjacent to the main school.
The school is located in the heart of Bristol, near Cabot Tower
Cabot Tower (Bristol)
Cabot Tower is a tower in Bristol, England, situated in a public park on Brandon Hill, between the city centre, Clifton and Hotwells. It was constructed in memory of John Cabot, 400 years after he set sail in the Matthew from Bristol and landed in what was later to become Canada. The foundation...
, in an imposing building built of Brandon stone, designed by local architects Foster and Son and dating from 1847. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade II listed building. The terrace steps and walls are also grade II listed, as are the walls, lodge and gates. Before moving to the site on Brandon Hill
Brandon Hill, Bristol
Brandon Hill, also known as St Brandon's Hill, is a hill close to Bristol city centre, between the districts of Clifton and Hotwells, in south west England....
, it was previously housed at Gaunt's Hospital mansion house, Unity Street (1590–1767) and St. Bartholomew's
St Bartholomew's Hospital, Bristol
St Bartholomew's Hospital is at the bottom of Christmas Steps, in Lewin's Mead, Bristol, England.This 12th century town house was incorporated into a monastery hospital founded in 1240 by Sir John la Warr, 2nd Baron De La Warr , and became Bristol Grammar School from 1532 to 1767, and then Queen...
, Christmas Steps (1767–1847). The Red Maids' School
Red Maids' School
The Red Maids' School is an independent school for girls in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol. The school is a member of the Girls' Schools Association and a MyDaughter school.-History:...
, the oldest girls' school in the UK, is sister school to QEH.
Facilities
The school also has an up-to-date ICT suite which allows boys access to the internet. Boys can log onto the school server through a link on the school website.
The school library, located at the top of the main building, contains both fiction and non-fiction. The library also takes 35 periodicals, including magazines and national newspapers, in English, as well as French, Spanish and German, which are the three modern foreign languages offered to the boys for curricular study.
Failand
Failand is a village in Somerset, England. It lies within the civil parish of Wraxall and Failand and the unitary authority area of North Somerset....
.
A new sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
centre (designed by the architect Ashley Smith, employed at the time by GSS Architecture) was completed early in the new millennium.
Admittance
For much of its history, QEH has been for boys aged 11 to 18 – though it now has an all-boys junior school. QEH has its own entrance examination in January for students entering at Year 7 and Year 9 levels (ages 11 and 13 respectively), and boys take papers in three subjects – Maths, English and Reasoning. The year 7 entrants are chosen by Easter (roughly), and attend an initiation day during the summer term. Boys also regularly enter the school at sixth formSixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
level.
School day
The school day begins at 08:35 with registration in each class's form room. This is followed on Mondays and Fridays by a full school assembly in the dining hall led by the headmaster or, occasionally, the school chaplain on Fridays. The day is divided into nine thirty five minute periods. The first two are from 9–10:10 am, followed by a 10 minute break known as 'movement time', then two more periods before break starts at 11:30 am which ends at 11:50. After two more lessons, at 1 pm, lunch break starts. This lasts until 2 pm, when there is a fifteen minute form period before three more periods between 2:15 pm and 4 pm.All boys have one afternoon of sports per week. For year 7 and 8, it takes place on Wednesdays at the school's Failand playing fields, where Rugby is played during the autumn and spring terms, and cricket or athletics during the summer. Years 9 and 10 have games on Tuesdays, and are given a choice of sports, while year 11 and sixth form have games on Thursdays, with the option of private study. There are also gym periods for years 7–11 during the rest of the week.
In year 7, boys are taught Latin, English, French, Maths, Geography, History, Religious Studies, Art and Science, as well as periods for sport and general studies. In year 8, boys are taught all of the above as well as an extra language (German or Spanish). In year 9, boys must choose 3 creative subjects (Dt, It, Art, Drama, Music or Latin), which are each taught once a week for a double period, and science classes are divided into the separate disciplines of Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. Boys are expected to take ten GCSEs, including a modern foreign language, Maths, English Language, English Literature, and the sciences (either as three separate disciplines or as "dual award" which gives two GCSEs). Boys take four AS Level
GCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
s in 6i, with new subjects such as Economics, Further Mathematics
Further Mathematics
Further Mathematics is the title given to a number of advanced secondary mathematics courses. Higher and Further Mathematics may also refer to any of several advanced mathematics courses at many institutions....
and Politics also available. One subject is then dropped for their final year at the school in 6ii.
Public occasions
Wills Memorial Building
The Wills Memorial Building is a Neo Gothic building designed by Sir George Oatley and built as a memorial to Henry Overton Wills III...
, part of the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
. The headmaster reads his annual report, and a guest speaker gives the prizes to the winning pupils.
At the end of the winter term, the school holds its carol service
Carol service
Most Churches in Britain hold Carol Services in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The service usually consists of Hymns about Christmas and readings from the gospels telling the Christmas story...
at Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...
. The school returns to the cathedral at the end of the spring term for its Charter Day service, celebrating the founding of the school. This service is attended by the Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
of Bristol, and the school's charter is put on display. The final public event of the school year is the school's sports day at the Failand playing fields after the end-of-year exams.
In addition, the school choir often sings Council Prayers at the Lord Mayor's Chapel
St Mark's Church, Bristol
St Mark's Church is an ancient small church on the north-east side of College Green, Bristol, England, built c. 1230. Better known to mediaeval and Tudor historians as the Gaunt's Chapel, it has also been known within Bristol since 1722 as the Mayor's Chapel. It is the only church in England...
on College Green
College Green, Bristol
College Green is a public open space in Bristol, England. The Green takes the form of a segment of a circle with its apex pointing east, and covers...
, where school founder John Carr is buried.
House system
QEH operates a house system whereby students are allocated to one of four houses and engage in house activities including academic competitions (such as literature or foreign language readings), sports competitions, house drama, house choir, house music ensemble, and many others.Each house is named after one of the school's notable patrons. The four houses are Bird's, named after William Bird; Carr's, named after school founder John Carr; Hartnell's, named after Samuel Hartnell; Ramsey's, named after Lady Mary Ramsey. Hartnell was also a benefactor of the nearby school Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
a fact reflected in them also having a house named Hartnell's.
Each house has its own colour, and that colour is worn on the school tie for all students up to year 11. Sixth Form students who are house captains also wear house colours on their ties. The colours for the houses are:
- Bird's (yellow)
- Carr's (blue)
- Hartnell's (green)
- Ramsey's (red)
Students who excel at helping their house in some manner or other (usually sporting) are awarded "house colours" consisting of a rectangular badge in the colour of their house.
The organisation of each house is carried out by a designated House Master, and two sixth-form students, the Captain and Vice Captain of the house, who are picked by the House Master in conjunction with senior members of staff.
Uniform
Sixth-form students wear a grey or black suit with pastel-coloured shirt and blue QEH tie. Students who excel at sports are often awarded with "house colours" for that sport in the form of a special tie.
Traditional bluecoat
For a long time the school was a traditional bluecoatBluecoat
The bluecoat is a style of dress code, traditionally worn in Bluecoat schools .The main element of the bluecoat is a long coat, belted at the waist, with white neck decoration...
school. This dress was eventually phased out as day uniform, but was still sometimes worn by boarders (until the cessation of boarding in 2008), and is still worn by choir members, and by the Captain and Vice Captains of the school, for special occasions such as prize day.
Publications
Old Elizabethans
- William Friese-GreeneWilliam Friese-GreeneWilliam Friese-Greene was a British portrait photographer and prolific inventor. He is principally known as a pioneer in the field of motion pictures and is credited by some as the inventor of cinematography.-Career:William Edward Green was born on 7 September 1855, in Bristol...
portrait photographer and inventor. Pioneer in the field of motion pictures. - Sir Ivor Jennings jurist, educator and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
- Hugo WeavingHugo WeavingHugo Wallace Weaving is a Nigerian born, English-Australian film actor and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "V" in V for Vendetta, and performances in numerous Australian character dramas.-Early...
, star of The Matrix trilogy, The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings film trilogyThe Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
film trilogy, and V for VendettaV for VendettaV for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government,...
. - Jonathan PearceJonathan PearceJonathan Pearce , is a British football commentator for the BBC.Known for his loud, exuberant commentaries, he has worked for both Radio Five Live and Match of the Day, as well as participating in other lower key sports programmes.- Early life and career :Pearce wanted to become a footballer, but...
(1971–78), a British soccer commentator for the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. - Ashley PharoahAshley PharoahAshley Pharoah is a British Television writer, co-creator of the successful drama series Life on Mars, which began on BBC One in 2006....
(1971–78), writer and co-creator of the television series Life on MarsLife on Mars (TV series)Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
. - Simon MannSimon MannSimon Francis Mann is a British mercenary and former British Army officer. He had been serving a 34-year prison sentence in Equatorial Guinea for his role in a failed coup d'état in 2004, before receiving a presidential pardon on humanitarian grounds on 2 November 2009.Mann was extradited from...
(1975–82) Broadcaster. Test Match Special Commentator. - Martin BrightMartin BrightMartin Bright is a British journalist. He worked for the BBC World Service and The Guardian before becoming The Observer's education correspondent and then home affairs editor...
(1977–84) Journalist. Political Editor of the New Statesman. - Mike SmithMike Smith (A&R man)Mike Smith started as an A&R man at MCA Publishing as a scout in 1988, where he signed Blur, Levitation and scouted The Smashing Pumpkins. He then moved to EMI Publishing in 1992 where he went on to sign acts such as PJ Harvey, Elastica, Supergrass, Teenage Fan Club, Doves, Starsailor, The Beta...
(1982–84), Managing Director of Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. - Jack CuthbertJack CuthbertJack Cuthbert is a rugby union player for Bath in the Aviva Premiership. He plays as a winger/fullback or outside centre, although has won most of his 1st class appearances at fullback. Whilst still a member of the Bath academy, he has shown himself to be a promising player, and is a strong and...
professional rugby player for Bath rugby club [2006–]
QEH Theatre
